1. Field
This disclosure relates generally to semiconductor devices, and more specifically, to a sensor device for dynamically measuring IR-drop in a voltage supply.
2. Related Art
As the size of semiconductor circuit components such as transistors decreases, the level of supply voltage to operate the components also decreases. At the same time, the capabilities and functional features of electronic devices are becoming more complex and numerous, requiring the supply voltage to be distributed among an ever-increasing number of components. One or more functions of a circuit may not perform as desired if the expected level of supply voltage is not provided to the circuit due to the voltage drop along power networks. For example, CMOS transistors with gates that are 55 nanometer long can be subject to a 250 to 300 milliVolts current-resistance drop (IR-drop) when a large number of the transistors switch at the same time, whether during test or during normal operation. In some cases, it is desirable to be able to identify whether a circuit's performance failure has been caused by IR-drop in the voltage supplied network of the circuit.